LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 960, 26 November 1879, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The scab having broken out in the Patutahi district, the Sheep Inspector has, as a precautionary measure, caused the notification appearing in our columns to he issued. We observe on reference to the Sheep Act that a penalty of not less than jSIO, and not exceeding JOIOO, attaches to the infraction of the 40th Section, in conformity with which the notice appears. The Hawkes Bay Herald says : — A grave item of intelligence, which we are afraid is as true as unwelcome, reaches us. It is that scab has made its appearance in this province. Pending inquiry by our energetic Inspector, who will, we feel sure, soon let all doubts on this point at rest, we forbear to indicate the locality, but it may be stated that the curse of the sheep-farmers has appeared where least expected. We draw attention in this issue of a large and unreserved sale of furniture of the beßt description, to be held at the Mart of Messrs Bourke and Smith, on Saturday next. The furniture, utensils, &0., are of the best kind, and in excellent condition. This affords a rare chance of those desirous of adding totheir present stock of household furniture, whether for ornament or use. The following is an extract from the report of a Fenian Convention held in Pennsylvania : — " The breechloading guns with which the Zulus are armed have been furnished and paid for by the patriot Irish of America, and while the policy of the organization is to defer a formidable attack upon the English by the Irish patriots, yet they will never cease to harrass her, and the Zulu surprise is only one of the many they have in store for her." The Slaughter-house Act 1877, Amendment, as reported from the Select. Committee, contains several new clauses. Clause 2 is erased. Establishing and licensing of slaughter-houses is placed exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Council. County Councils may establish abbatoirs half-a-mile from Borough Councils ; with the consent of the county or local governing body it may establish one or more abbatoirs outside the borough, but the provisions are not to apply to abbatoirs and slaughter-houses already established aud licensed. At Ngaruawahia last Friday two men were engaged dipping sheep. After an hour-and-half's work their hands became very painful and on examination the flesh appeared to have been actually eaten into by the chemicals used, and they were compelled to discontinue operations and obtain medical aid. They are still unable to use their hands. Five whales entered Kawhia Harbour a few days ago. They swam in single file round the harbour, aud after a time they went out to sea aeain. During the time the whales were in Kawhia the greatest anxiety was evinced by the- natives, who appear to have a superstitious dread of whales being in their harbour. The cause of the terror is as follows : — A short time previous to the last war several of these monsters of the deep were seen to enter the harbour. They came in at the heads and swam around, making their exit it such a peculiar manner as to exite the forboding of the natives. Last week the same phenomenon was repeated. The whales came into Kawhia in a similar manner, and pursued exactly the same course as those did before the war. The natives assert that most positively that some great calamity is about to befal the Maories, either those of their own district or the natives of New Zealand as a whole. The following tough yarn is from an American paper : — There is a species of stinging scorpion found in the river bottoms of Western Texas. Immediately after the birth of her young, the female places them in a basket-shaped receptacle on her back, where they at once attach themselves and begin sucking her blood. Of course the mother soon succumbs to this unfilial treatment and begins to droop. The young ones are by this time sufficiently nourished to demand more substantial food, and they kill their mother and devour her. Should one of the young ones become detached from the living nest,. it is at once feasted upon by the mother. Thus it seems that while the female willingly sacrifices her life to her offspring, yet she does not hesitate to kill them should they be so devoid of instinct as to refuse to remain where she places them after birth. While this is going on tbe male parent stand around evidently "bossing the job." A novel mode of escape has just been practised by a Nihilist. A young woman, named Olga Gobieslawska, has been wanted for a long time by the police, when on July 25 the house at Moscow in which she had sought a refuge was discovered. The authorities determined to arrest her on the following nijfht ; but, unfortunately for them, some time in the afternoon they beheld a balloon rising rapidly from the garden, which disappeared beyond the horizon. The balloon contained Midlle. Olga and two young men, and all efforts to capture the furgitives have since proved fruitless. The birds have literally flown away. Balloons will now have to be considered in the calculations of the Russian authorities A mau'in a New York rural settlement who has been an inveterate smoker for 20 years, has suddenly and permanently given up the practice. He knocked the ashes of his pipe into a keg of blasting powder.